The present invention relates in general to photographic, videographic, digital imaging, cinemagraphic, theatrical, imaging of any type, or even environmental lighting, and in particular to a new and useful light fixture which is meant for use with umbrella-like reflectors having flexible struts and flexible sheet material walls.
In recent years it has become common for photographers and videographers to use softer, more distributed and diffuse light sources to illuminate their subjects, in preference to direct open faced or lensed lighting fixtures.
To achieve this effect it has become the norm to take a conventional lighting fixture and mount it at the rear of a large fabric reflector or lightbox approximating a parabola or any other curve in the manner of an umbrella without a stem or handle. Mounting is achieved by means of a ring assembly mounted to the lighting fixture in question and forms a secondary mount on to which umbrella-like struts of the reflector are mounted, with fabric stretched between them. Light diffusing fabric can then be stretched across the mouth of this reflector to break up the resulting light pattern, or is already attached across the mouth of the reflector.
This method requires the user to buy a special mounting ring for each of his or her conventional lighting fixtures in order to use them in the light box assembly. In addition to this, most conventional fixtures (by design) direct most of their output forward in a linear manner. A more efficient design would be to remove the lighting fixture and replace it with simply a lamp. In this way the entire fabric reflector surface is utilized by the rays of the lamp. Light would be emitted in a more efficient and diffuse manner. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,446,506; 4,633,374 and 4,807,089 for examples of umbrella reflectors.